


To Begin Again

by getyourfaceoutofmyface



Category: Unter Uns
Genre: Angst, Break Up, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 19:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14961030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getyourfaceoutofmyface/pseuds/getyourfaceoutofmyface
Summary: Sometimes relationships end, there's nothing you can do. But maybe you can begin again.





	To Begin Again

It doesn’t end the way you would think it would. Though if Ringo was honest he never did think it would end at all. But life had other plans and sometimes it’s not anyone’s fault. It didn’t matter that Ringo wanted someone to blame, there was no one’s feet to lay it upon.

It started slowly. Ringo working more. Late nights at the office. It became less important to respond to the text messages than to just finish up that last document. It was hard enough to find the time but once Easy’s career started to take off it became impossible.

Ringo was happy for Easy, in his element of creativity and surrounded by his passion. Easy was proud of Ringo, how he was rising in the ranks. Both were becoming known in their field, working hard and slowly slipping away from each other.

Because you think you’ll make it up next time. You think tomorrow we’ll do dinner, the movie, the concert, the conversation, the whatever. Then you say it again the next day. They stop their normal breakfast routine. Easy’s out of town so much it’s postponed so many times it’s no longer a thing. A tradition broken that never resumes.

They were close to having to schedule sex because Ringo couldn’t remember the last time they’d had some. Or kissed beyond a peck when they passed in the hall. Or held hands. Or any of it.

The love was still there but that doesn’t matter if everything else is gone.

Ringo wasn’t surprised when Easy came home from two weeks in Paris and they had “the talk.”

Easy simply said, “Is this working?”

Ringo was always honest with Easy. He just hated that in that moment he had to be. He desperately wanted to lie to the man he loved.

“No.”

So they talked and there were some tears. Okay a lot of tears but they were best friends, better to end it now before they lost everything. They spent that last night together. Made love for the first time in over a month. It was beautiful and special and goodbye.

It was impossible at first but work kept them both busy. Their friends were thankful that they were being so adult about it. Tobias was a shoulder for both men to lean on.

It was hard, it took time but they got there. They could be in a group together and laugh. They could run into each other and hug with awkward affection. Sure sometimes Ringo would look at Easy and feel a surge of emotion that overwhelmed him. Sometimes Easy would have to stop himself from reaching for Ringo’s hand and interlacing their fingers. Sometimes Ringo’s thumb would hover over Easy’s number on his phone late at night, his heart begging him to press the call button. Sometimes Easy slept cradling the shirt Ringo had left forgotten in one of Easy’s drawers, it didn’t matter that Ringo’s scent was gone.

Time went on. Ringo would say he loved Easy because he did. He’d accepted he always would. It had to be a first love thing, because Easy was his first real love. He’d heard that never fully went away.

So they weren’t friends but they weren’t enemies and that was something in itself. They could both look back in fondness, void of bitterness and anger. Or at least he hoped they could.

When six months later Ringo found out Easy was dating an underwear model he was fine with it. He was. He wanted Easy to be happy. He just worked harder, and kept his head down.

When Ringo was headhunted by another firm for more money, three times to be exact, he felt vindicated. He bought a better condo than the one he’d previously owned but never lived in. He had his Rhine view. He had his in floor heating. He had his name on a plaque outside his huge corner office. He had everything he worked so hard for.

Now what?

Easy meanwhile took a while longer to move on. When he’d sat across from Ringo and asked him that fatal question he thought he’d hear something different.

Yes things had been hard and there was a distance growing between them then. He thought they could talk it out. He thought they would make a plan. They didn’t. They gave up.

It rubbed Easy the wrong way. It wasn’t just the heartache and the loneliness. It was that he thought they were more than that. They fought against deceit and friends to be together, but time was what killed them in the end?

Easy was thankful that his job took him around the world. He saw new places that had no connection to Ringo. He met new people who didn’t know him as anything other than Ingo Winter.

He was no longer Ingo Dingo to Ringo’s Flamingo. He wasn’t half of anything anymore. He was a whole. Just Easy. It still felt empty.

He’d almost said something to Ringo once when they were riding the elevator together. The first time they’d seen each other in almost 2 months. Easy told Ringo about this Indian restaurant in Japan of all places which would have turned his stomach inside out. He’d laughed when Ringo told him about Kira’s newest boyfriend drama.

They sighed and locked eyes and there was a moment. It was like they were Easy and Ringo again. Like they both remembered what it was to be together, really together. But the doors to the elevator opened and the moment was lost.

That night Easy got a text from a model he’d met at the shoot a few days before, asking him to go out for a drink. He didn’t want to say yes, but he did. Afterwards Easy ended up back at his place. He wanted to get his first time post Ringo over with.

James was gorgeous and British and good in bed. He seemed to find Easy fascinating and fawned all over him. It was nice. It was okay. It was fine.

When he heard Ringo was moving out he didn’t bat an eye. He told Tobias to give him his best and he’d meant it. He wouldn’t be able to attend Ringo’s “going away” party because of a shoot in South Africa. Models wearing bikinis surrounded by giraffes. Easy was more excited to meet the giraffes if he was honest. James picked him up from the airport with a kiss and a hug and that was surprising but not unwelcome.

It got easier when he no longer looked for Ringo in the halls or the elevator or anywhere. He wasn’t going to be there and that’s okay. Well as okay as it was ever going to be.

When Easy heard Ringo was dating a young female accountant it made sense. Ringo deserved to be part of a power couple. Someone should be on Ringo’s arm wearing a power suit and dripping in elegance. Not someone in black jeans and flannel. He hoped they were happy, hoped they sparkled like diamonds together. He really did.

Ringo cared about Alice. She was nice and got his dry sense of humour. Plus she was smart, good with money and numbers. They both spent their evenings tapping away on their laptops. When they went to functions together they shone. Ringo saw the envy on other men’s faces. Weirdly it didn’t feel as good as he expected.

She called him Richard, which at first he liked but now he felt a little like she was scolding him whenever she said his name. But she was beautiful. She never wanted affection. She wasn’t cold, just focused. Sex was to the point. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing. Still she was someone who got Ringo’s life, got his priorities. They could go days without talking and nobody felt deserted. Some days it was lonely but he’d gotten used to that feeling. To be honest it was a feeling he was comfortable with, a feeling he knew all too well.

After a few months it became clear that she was expecting some sort of commitment. Focused as she was she wanted to know where this was going. If they weren’t headed where she wanted she would move on. No muss. No fuss.

Then his brother called with the most amazing news. He’d asked Saskia to marry him and she surprisingly said yes. They were getting married in two weeks. Turned out two days after Tobias proposed Saskia found out she was pregnant. She wanted to be able to fit into her dream dress.

Oh and would Ringo be his joint best man with Easy?

Easy was over the moon for his best friend and Saskia. They were in love for so long before they finally admitted it to themselves and each other. Easy would come home from a night at James’s place to find them gazing at each other or cuddled on the couch with Stinker laying across them. They fit. They made sense.

Tobias was so nervous when Easy helped him pick out the ring. Nervous before they left on their nightly walk with Stinker. He took her to the spot in the park where he’d first kissed her. Tobias said he may have gotten down on one knee before but he knew it this time would be his last.

Tobias had asked if he was okay with Ringo and him both being his best man. Easy loved it. Happy that the brothers were brothers finally, nothing half about it. There was no bachelor party to plan, Tobias feared he’d end up so drunk he’d marry Easy again. No. He just wanted to pledge forever to Saskia. That was all.

So Easy broke it off with James. Sure it meant going dateless to the wedding but it was the right thing to do. He cared for James, liked him but it would never be more than that. He hated that he didn’t feel what he should but maybe with the next one? It was his first relationship post Ringo. There were still kinks to work out. A heart to get back up to snuff.

Ringo was amazed at how quickly they pulled the wedding together. He was thankful that Alice had a planned conference that weekend and was unable to attend. He didn’t ask her to cancel, she wouldn’t have anyway. He needed to make a decision about where they were going. It was time to start looking at rings.

He showed up at the church 10 minutes earlier than was asked of him but he hadn’t walked in yet. The last time he’d walked through those doors he’d been holding Easy’s hand. How things changed. He tapped down the ache in his chest.

It was a slight shock to his heart to see the church empty other than Easy standing at the end of the aisle. He was adjusting some flower arrangements but looked up at the sound of the door. They locked eyes and Easy smiled at him. Ringo knew in that moment he was going to break up with Alice.

Easy wished Ringo didn’t always look so damn handsome in a suit. Okay he looked handsome in everything but the black suit with a slim black tie was a sight to behold. Easy was grateful when Tobias came rushing from the back, vibrating with nerves and excitement, a welcome distraction to both men.

Saskia was a beautiful bride and Tobias sniffled throughout his vows. When they kissed at the end Stinker, the star ring bearer, barked with happiness as the guests clapped and cheered.

Ringo handed Easy his handkerchief, somehow aware that Easy was crying even though he’d had his back to him throughout the whole service.

Photos were taken, Ringo’s speech was a hit and when he finally got a moment to himself he texted Alice it was over. Her response was “Thank you.” No muss. No fuss. What an understatement.

Ringo knew that he’d never have what he had with Easy again. But he wanted something close. Watching the bride and groom and the love, it was evident and real. He had to look. He had to try.

At the end of the night Easy and Ringo were helping Saskia and Tobias into the limo that was taking them to their hotel. Yes they were taking Stinker. They really were a pair, a match made in heaven as they say. They were leaving the next morning, a road trip for a small honeymoon, a nice happy family.

They waved them goodbye and then it was just the two of them. They made stilted small talk as they collected the gifts and envelopes stuffed with money. They carried them up to the apartment, covering the kitchen table with the fruits of a happy union.

Ringo was going to leave, he really was but then he noticed the boxes stacked in one corner. He had to ask.

“Saskia is moving in here, they’re turning my room into a nursery.”

They smiled wistfully at each other, they were both excited to be uncles. To have a child to spoil and hold. Both thinking back to when they’d made plans for a family of their own one day.

“So are you moving in with your boyfriend then?”

Ringo tried to keep the curiosity out of his voice. But he wanted to know if the model was going to get something with Easy that he never did. A real home. A future.

“No I broke it off with him. He was a great guy just not the one you know?”

Ringo just nodded. He felt light on his feet for some reason, rocking back and forth. He should leave, he really should.

Easy didn’t want Ringo to leave. He wanted to stand there and pretend for a little bit longer. It was stupid. It’d almost been a year but after today the next time he saw Ringo he’d probably be married himself. The perfect half of the perfect couple.

“So where are you moving to then?”

That was the question wasn’t it? Easy didn’t know.

“Not sure yet. I’ve got a lot saved and with the money from leasing the kiosk I’m looking to buy. Just not sure where yet.”

“There are some places still available in my building.”

Easy laughed. Really Ringo?

“I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t like your ex living a couple floors away Richard.”

There, like that. He wanted someone to say his name like that. To say Richard like they loved the feeling in their mouth. Like it was perfection on their tongue. Like it wasn’t just his name, like it was everything.

“We broke up.”

He heard Easy’s sharp intake of breath.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.”

And again the silence. Ringo should head for the door. Why did he have to leave what he wanted behind? He turned away because he could feel it bubbling up. The love he had for Ingo Winter still, always. He learned today watching his brother that you could be made for one person. He was made for Easy. Why hadn’t that been enough?

Easy rubbed the handkerchief in his pocket. He should give it back. He should remind Ringo he had it. But he wanted another little piece to hang onto. He wanted another reminder that once upon a time he’d had a great love. The greatest love. Why had it ended again? Why hadn’t Easy been enough?

Maybe it was seeing the back of Ringo walking away. Maybe it was because he’d stood beside him at an alter where people declared their undying devotion. Maybe it was the last 11 months of trying to fill the void that Ringo had left behind.

Whatever it was it made him speak the words he swore he’d never say out loud.

“Why did you give up on us?”

He didn’t know what he was expecting but what he got was Ringo whipping around to face him. There were tears on his cheek and heartbreak in his eyes.

“Why did you let me?”

They met halfway, hands cradling each other’s faces. Just gazing. Looking. Remembering. Maybe time hadn’t torn them apart because it was like no time had passed.

“I love you.”

They both whispered it at the same time. Ringo smiled, Easy whimpered. Then their lips met and it was like the world fell into place again.

They ended up breaking a present or two when they pushed everything off the table. It was raw and intense and felt like coming home. Afterwards they made their way to Easy’s bed. It was soft and honest. A new memory that stretched seamlessly into the ones of old. It was them. It fit. It made sense.

Then they stayed up all night. They held each other and had the conversations they should have had 11 months ago. Probably even before that.

Ringo admitted that he would always feel like he wasn’t good enough for Easy. Easy admitted he would always worry he loved Ringo too much, that he smothered him. It all seemed ridiculous now, how they’d let their careers and fears take away the only thing that ever really mattered. Because their success without the other to share it with was nothing to celebrate. Not if they couldn’t celebrate it together.

Easy moved straight from the apartment into Ringo’s condo. He was a big fan of the in floor heating and the view. They both worked less and yet their careers didn’t suffer. When Ringo went to events with Easy on his arm the envy he saw in others filled him with pride. This was his partner Ingo Winter, yes that Ingo Winter, the photographer.

Their friends and family were ecstatic and thankful. They were just happy to have Easy and Ringo back. Turned out everyone had missed the couple because neither man had been himself without the other. Ringo thought he’d hidden it better than that. Easy knew he’d not been able to hide it at all.

Tobias just smiled at them and winked at Saskia. She hugged them both and asked what colour they would paint the new nursery. Seemed redecorating was repayment for broken wedding gifts. They went with a soft purplish gray with white accents. Saskia cried and rubbed her expanding stomach at the unveiling.

“Don’t you just have the best uncles ever?”, she whispered before she started crying all over again.

They eloped, just the two of them. They said their vows on a beach with the sand between their toes and the breeze brushing their faces. They made promises that were just for the two of them. Vowing to never let anything break them apart again. To love and cherish and never give up.

When Ringo held his niece for the first time he thought for sure he was going to drop her. She was so tiny and perfect and thankfully looked like her mother. Tobias was praising his wife, too busy to notice when his brother looked at his husband and whispered something no one ever expected him to say. Well no one except Easy Winter-Beckmann.

“She needs a cousin.”


End file.
